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Ottawa comiccon 2016
”I wanted to be Peter Parker but no one really knows I’m him. All I had was this camera my dad passed me.” -Kid-
Ottawa comiccon 2016: one of my favorite events of the year. It’s always a great time and I get to meet many new people as well as spend 3 days drawing non stop! Special thanks goes out to all the great folk who stopped by the table and said hello and also those who went the extra mile and bought one or more of my books!
…AND an EXTRA special mention for those who hired me to create artwork for them; all of this weekend’s commissions were really cool, fun and original.
I managed to get some shots of my various little pieces I drew up during the convention although one slipped away: chain gun nurse princess is sadly missing from my photos. This was a sketch I made for someone who had created his own character and hired artists to draw up their own vision of her; people always surprise me with great and challenging commission propositions. To be honest, I’ll do this event for as long as I can because even though I always just break even, I love producing pieces for people to enjoy!
Below are sketches of a random sci-fi dude and a Venom portrait.
Here’s a cool ink piece done for a father who knew just what his son wanted: Big Hero 6!
And yet, the most original commission of the weekend has to be the Bates motel from Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO:
Where the shower isn’t safe
And to finish: a colorful, musically inspired piece that was also a blast to get done!
The Blue Book of Ideas
I seem to be releasing my books at Ottawa comiccon every second year! This year saw the release of The Blue Book of Ideas: a limited edition(200) book of ballpoint sketches ranging from the humorous and satirical to the completely absurd!
And so…
Another year of Ottawa comiccon comes to a close on a good note. Sadly, I’ll onlybe back in 2018. However, big things in the near future.
Stay tuned for Japan.
Uli Jon Roth in Montreal: Space craft of guitar wisdom
Yesterday, my mind was blown by a triple guitarist master set. Andy Timmons, Jennifer Batten and finally Uli Jon Roth all graced the stage in their unique ways, leaving a wake of shattered minds and vibrating ear drums.
I’ll admit that what got me there in the first place was Uli Jon Roth but I was incredibly happy to discover Andy Timmons and Jennifer Batten that night. Of course, being the decorated guitar veterans they are, they required little introduction. Andy Timmons is a gipsy guitartist© with an absolutely great vibe emanating from his presence: the definition of good times.
Jennifer Batten’s stage was setting up next and I had no idea what to expect. Before she even started I felt some of sort of heavy ripple in the space time continuum surfing it’s way through the crowd. Then she began. If her style was wine it would have a complex taste and we’d have to bring out all the fanciest words to describe it. Her music grabs you with it’s harmonic curiosities and hooks you in, taking you to a part of space no man has ever explored. But Jennifer Batten has been there, oh yes. It was almost impossible to turn your head away from her performance which was accompanied by random, projected footage of her cats, Japan and India. Her honesty and genuinely eccentric character were apparent from the very beginning and the crowd clearly appreciated it. I know I did!
Next up: the incomparable Uli Jon Roth and his band. A smoky, wizardrous aura was suddenly felt as all eyes noticed him appear seemingly out of nowhere. One moment he wasn’t there and the next, like some sly cat: there he was. Wasting no time, they soon broke into Sails of Charon and bombarded the crowd with a great set.
Next time I’m bringing my astronaut suit. You need that cosmic protection for a journey on the space craft of guitar wisdom.
Thanks for reading,
Good night.
Justin
Oi! : St-Patrick’s day weekend 2016 at Katacombes
Last week, I headed out to Katacombes in Montréal for the annual St Patrick’s day Oi weekend. As usual, it proved to be an amazing time. When you mix good beer, a good crowd and put a camera in my hand, I’m having a blast every time!
Shotcallers
Though I missed out on the first evening headlined by BAD CO. PROJECT which is composed of former OXYMORON members, I managed to get out on the second night for an equally solid line-up. In general, the whole evening’s program was really tight. I’ve got nothing to say there: the sets were not too long which is great and the energy level was high.
Legion 76
Shotcallers with Lion’s Law singer Wattie
Personally, I discovered The Strike that night, which reminds me that sometimes great style only sharpens with age. This is truly what comes to mind when I reflect on their set which concluded with a cover of ”Sunday morning nightmare” by SHAM 69, a song that’s been particularly present in my ears over the last year. To put it simply: this band is in your fucking face. Plus, I had a chance to meet the bassist and lead singer/guitarist and they were ultra stand-up individuals.
The strike
Then: Lion’s Law came on stage. That’s when the place, quite simply, turned up to 11.
You’ll go nuts if you watch this for too long…
Lion’s law
It was great to get to get out and add more shots to the archives; the bands were wicked as usual. The Sunday morning after wasn’t quite a nightmare but the bells of Saint Patrick’s were ringing in my ears for the rest of the weekend.
Crobar: a downtown Montreal staple
Ah, my photos.
How I’d love to spend just a wee little more time on building proper sections to showcase some of my work. In the last year, I’ve been working on the release for the Blue Book of Ideas and haven’t really had the time to do something really important: create proper photography portfolios.
I do what I can with the time that I have! But there’s so many wonderful things I’d like to do with my photos.
Basically, I’ve spent many years documenting Montreal punk/oi shows when I could. The idea is tiny right now but I’m thinking of the ”hows” and the ”whens” of putting out a heavy book of concert/scene moments. It seems that after 10 years or more of taking photos, I’m starting to have a decent amount of stuff I could use for a solid book project. It’s making me think and when I start thinking, I’m soon to act!
Which leads me to the point: I’ve just put up a new section entitled PSYCHO PORTRAITS. It’s a collection of trippy photographs with special qualities to them. This one which I like to call ”The ogre of Crobar” is a portrait of Scott of the Montreal band Out of Order, though you wouldn’t know it unless you were quite intimate with his feet on a regular basis. I had just finished painting a mural on the Crobar’s terrace and I’m not sure why but Scott was walking around barefoot and I believe he’d stepped in black paint! He was managing the bar at the time under the former owner Rob(RIP) and has taken the initiative of having me put some color into their outdoor area.
The photo itself was damaged by light as I removed it from the Yashica body; it had somehow gotten stuck in the spool. Though I tried to remove it in the darkest environment possible under a bunch of sheets, I could not completely save it. But the result is great! I found the neon green ”burn” to be awesome!
Since then, I’m sure Scott’s feet have been cleansed of the Darkness.
Ciao!
Justin
Skateboard piece: Dead decks rise!
I finished this skateboard piece a few weeks ago, I thought I’d post it!
It’s part of the Artflip show that took place in Sherbrooke city a few weeks ago. It will be back on the island for the Montreal version of the show in April 2016. More on that as the date approaches!
In the meantime, some detail shots of the piece. It was really fun to let loose on something like this. It gave me an excuse to revisit paints which I hadn’t used on a small surface in quite some time.
Reaaally made me want to start. The problem with canvas’ is that they take a LOT of place. One day I’ll have the place to say: ”I’m doing more canvas’ now.”
That won’t be today, sadly!
Ciao!
BOOM: FROM THE SKETCHBOOK
From the daily sketch files comes some BOOM!
I’ve been occasionally practicing my explosions. I figure explosions are always good to have in an exciting story or narrative style illustration.
Am I right?!
Blue Book of Ideas: Ready to ship!
It’s been hectic but finally, after over a year in the works, the Blue Book of Ideas has been printed and is ready to ship! Making a book is always sort of a chaotic storm of a process for me and this one was no exception! Thankfully, the crowdfunding campaign went very well, making it a tad simpler than my previous publishing ventures.
I know I’ve probably said it before in a previous post but I approached the creation of this book in a very laid back way. I had the ”pressure” to deliver the book on time following promises made on kickstarter which I think I respected but in general, it was a purely FUN book to make.
In the following days I will begin distribution of the pre-sold books, a process I have been looking forward to for several months!
All books are numbered and this edition is limited to 200 copies.
I will unfortunately only be attending Ottawa commicon this year in May but all the more reason to apply special attention to that particular set of dates! If you are reading this and plan on attending Ottawa comiccon, please come by and consider my new book. It’s the ultimate addition to any home!
I’ll post more soon…
Ciao!
Justin
Photos: Bizarre Beyond Belief book launch and art show @ Le Sino
Over the weekend, I helped put together a very special event which brought together a slew of artists from Montreal and Toronto. Under the roof of Montreal’s Le Sino shop, we held the launch party for BBB: The Collection.
I want to thank the following artists for their participation. Everyone brought their A-game!
123 KLAN – ASTRO – ARNOLD
DETHROCK – FIVE8 – FONE
KRIS MURRAY – MOZY – SCAN
Also, a huge MERCI goes out to Le Sino staff for being quite the generous and helpful folk!
The show is still going on for a month so check it out if you’re in the area!
Le Sino
2817 Rue Ontario E,
Montreal QC
Here are some shots I snapped during the evening:
Upcoming events of 2016
Hello all!
2016 is gearing up to be quite the year! I will be very busy…some projects I can discuss and some, for the time being, I cannot.
For starters, I’ll be showing a piece at ARTFLIP tomorrow, in Sherbrooke city alongside 45+ other artists. Unfortunately, I can’t make it out there; I’d have loved to witness the sheer volume of work that will be shown however I’ll have to wait until it rolls around to Montreal in April, 2016!
Also, I have been collaborating with my good friends over at arts and culture magazine Bizarre Beyond Belief in organizing a Montreal launch for their new book: BBB The anthology. This book is as elegant as it is rich in content. So much talent from around the globe can be found in this wonderful tome- a true treasure trove!
In honor of this book launch, we have assembled a team of Montreal and Toronto based artists of various skills and fields, to get together for a show at Le Sino, in Montreal, which will kick off on January 23rd, 2016. It should be quite memorable!
And then, there’s my flagship work. My new book.
In early February 2016, my new book entitled The Blue Book of Ideas will be shipped to my castle so that I may distribute them! This book, which was fully funded by generous support on Kickstarter, will be my wildest creation yet. It’s quite simply a heavy journey into one’s strange and unrefined imagination. I will be selling them at Ottawa comiccon 0n May 2016 alongside my previous works as well!
This is a limited edition book with only 200 copies available in all.
During, before and after all this, I plan to continue working on my mystery project which I will be glad to reveal the details of at a later time! This will be in the whereabouts of March or April 2016. It’s also because of this project that I will sadly not be attending Montreal Comiccon this year.
In contrast to that last bit of information, I was quite surprised and happy when I stumbled upon this picture currently featured on the Montreal comiccon website. Thanks! I should be back in 2017…
There I am, sporting one of my favorite shirts with the Zabi commander from the original Mobile Suit: Gundam series. Watching the original series then following it up with Gundam Zeta equals hours and hours and hours of awesome space opera. I highly recommend it.
I will post photos from the BBB show in a week or two so stay tuned! In the meantime, follow me on instagram where I post sketches and art and who knows what else @justin_odderside
Ciao!
Justin
ARTFLIP art show 2016
ARTFLIP(Click) is a show with a great many artists showing off their visual game on old skateboard decks. I am happy to say I will be participating in this event that kicks off next week, on Friday the fifteenth!
Check it out if you’re in the Sherbrooke, Qc area. In the highly probably event that you aren’t in Sherbrooke, then you’ll be able to catch the 2nd stop of the tour in Montreal, sometime in April 2016 I believe.
Here are some progress shots!
